A mother has made a brief appearance in a Perth court accused of murdering her three children, whose bodies were found after a fire at their home in Port Hedland, in WA’s Pilbara region.
Key Points:
- Margaret Dale Hawke faced court after being charged by police this morning
- She did not enter a plea to the charges or apply for bail
- The children’s family last week said their deaths were a “devastating loss”
Margaret Dale Hawke pleaded not guilty to killing her 10-year-old daughter, seven-year-old son and five-month-old son, as well as a fourth count of causing criminal damage by fire.
During the hearing in Perth Magistrates’ Court, the 36-year-old spoke only to confirm her name and to say she understood the charges against her.
Ms Hawke was told that if she wanted to apply for bail, she would have to apply to the Supreme Court, due to the seriousness of the charges.
Space for play or pause, M for mute, left and right arrows for search, up and down arrows for volume. Watch duration: 1 minute 56 seconds 1m 56s The children’s mother has been charged as the local community continues to mourn her death.
She was arrested shortly after firefighters found the bodies of the three children last Tuesday afternoon, when the house fire had been brought under control.
Ms Hawke was later flown to Perth for further medical treatment.
Police announced the charges against her this morning.
Ms Hawke did not have to plead to the charges during the court hearing. (Facebook: Margaret Hawke)
A community in mourning
Speaking in Perth, newly appointed WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the Port Hedland community had “come together” as they mourned the deaths.
“They are a strong community [and] I know they are working closely together,” he said.
“Everyone from the local council, the government, the police, all the departments and the local community and family have come together a number of times and are really just spending time together as a close-knit community.”
Col Blanch says the family is still recovering from the “tragic” circumstances. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Commissioner Blanch could not confirm whether the children had died before the fire.
“That will be part of the investigation. We had forensics up there for some time, now we’ve interviewed the obviously accused person.
“Everyone is grieving, the extended family, the immediate family, the community of Port Hedland, the community of Western Australia – this is a tragic event,” he said.
“It’s very, very hard to overcome.”
The family requests privacy
Ms Hawke’s family and her children were seen in tears near the home comforting each other on Thursday afternoon as authorities removed the children’s bodies from the site.
In a statement, the family asked the public and the local community to respect the investigation process, which police said would take time.
The bodies of three children were removed from the property last Thursday. (ABC News: Amelia Searson)
“Our family is going through a very traumatic grieving process,” they said in a statement released by police on Friday.
“We are unable to put into words the devastating loss we are all feeling right now.
“We ask that people refrain from speculating and commenting on the events surrounding the death of our beautiful children.
“We ask that people respect our cultural protocols and not mention our children’s names, or share their images without our permission.
“We are paying a silent tribute to our three little angels and just supporting each other at this time.”
“They’ve been inundated with attention”
The Department for Communities said last week that the family was well known in the area.
Floral tributes and teddy bears were left near the house amid an outpouring of grief. (ABC News: Tom Robinson)
“They’re going through the hardest time you can imagine. They’re grieving the loss of these babies,” said the department’s acting regional executive director, Sally Kirk.
“They’ve been inundated with attention … they’ve asked everyone if they could give them space to grieve, to be private, to go through this.”
The WA Country Health Service has encouraged people in the community to prioritize their mental health in the wake of the tragic incident.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we continue to be there for each other,” said Regional Manager Roger Golling.
Emergency services were called to a house fire on Anderson Street last Tuesday afternoon. (ABC News: Tom Robinson)